Plastic barber&#39;s cloth



Dec. 11, 1962 F. E. BAKER ETAL PLASTIC BARBER'S CLOTH Filed Oct. 6, 1958 INVENTORS FRANCIS E. BAKER WILLIAM GASSER fin MM A 7' TORNE) United States atent O 3,067,428 PLASTIC BARBERS CLOTH Francis E. Baker, Detroit, Mich., and William Gasser, Oak Park, Ill., assignors to Union Carbide Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 765,383 3 Claims. (Cl. 252) This invention relates to the manufacture of plastic covers. More particularly, it relates to the manufacture of plastic covers for use as barber cloths.

When cutting hair, ba-rbers place a cloth approximate 1y four feet square, around the neck and over the shoulders of the patron. The purpose of the cloth is to avoid hair clippings falling on the apparel of the customer. Hair clippings which adhere to the patrons clothing create an unsightly appearance as well as a discomfort to the individual when the small clipped hairs pass between the pores of the wearing apparel.

Barber cloths have heretofore generally been made of fabric or paper. Among the disadvantages of such cloths was their permeability to fluids. Drops of liquids falling on such barber cloths soak through the cloth and wet or stain the patrons apparel.

When a barber exhausts his supply of clean cloths, for any reason, he must reuse a soiled one as none of the cloths can be conveniently rinsed free of hair clippings and dried quickly. Another disadvantage of such cloths is that the hair clippings cannot be completely removed by shaking the cloth.

Still another problem existent in the use of barber cloths is with respect to the fastening of the barber cloth around the patrons neck. Various shapes, sizes, and neck openings with means for securing the cloth around the customers neck have been tried. Adhesives have been proposed for holding together the ends of the cloth around the patrons neck, but are objectionable in that inadvertently the adhesive coated surface may be applied to the patrons skin causing discomfiture when removed.

Springs and wires have also been tried as securing means but these rust and are uncomfortable.

An object of this invention is to provide a barbers cloth which will prevent hair clippings from getting on to the persons apparel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a barbers cloth which is economically disposable.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a barbers cloth which will prevent liquids from passing through and soiling the customers clothing.

A further object of this invention is to provide a barbers cloth which will be transparent so as to permit read ing matter held under the cloth to be easily read.

Another object is to provide a barbers cloth easily fastened around the patrons neck and shoulder, and readily removable upon completion of the barbering operation.

Still another object is to provide a plastic barber cloth with an integral non-metallic strip for comformably fastening the cloth around a persons neck, said strip being self-retentive of the conformed shape.

Other and additional objects of this invention will become apparent from this specification and appended claims.

Accordingly, the objects of this invention are satisfied by a barbers cloth comprising a flexible plastic film having a neck opening associated with self-securing integral means of a non-metallic and non-adhesive nature for holding the cloth around the persons neck.

The nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description and in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

3,667,428 Patented Dec. 11, 1962 FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form of barbers cloth constructed of flexible plastic film.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of another form of barbers cloth constructed of flexible plastic film.

Barbers cloths, such as shown in FIGS. '1 and 2, are manufactured from a flexible plastic film and preferably clear polyethylene film. Although a film thickness of 0.5 mil is preferred, any film thickness which is economical may be used.

, According to the embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, a barber cloth 10 is preferably manufactured from a poly ethylene film having a 0.5 mil thickness, such thickness being associated with adequate strength for the purpose in hand. It is also preferred but not essential that the barber cloth be approximately 48 inches wide by 48 inches long. The U shaped neck opening 12 is approximately 8 inches wide by 18 inches deep and is cut out at a point midway along one side of the film with the larger dimension of the neck opening 12 being towards the center of the barber cloth.

Superimposed around the neck opening 12 is an integral securing means comprising a U-shaped strip of plastic film 14 of a nature enabling the two ends 16 and 18 of the barber cloth 10 to directly adhere to each other when they are merely brought together in an overlapping relationship and wrapped about the persons neck. The plastic material for the securing means 14 should be of such a nature that it will cling to itself. A preferred plastic material for this securing means 14 comprises a film of a vinylidene chloride polymer known as saran. The securing means 14 may be from about three inches to about seven inches wide and may be attached to the barbers cloth by any suitable means such as heat sealing or sewing.

Surprisingly certain plastic films in a dry state including saran polymers when laid on each other exhibit the property of clinging together with a tenacity such that when the films are employed in a surface area and manner herein described for U-shaped strip 14, the clinging films require application of a force greater than the weight of the barber cloth to cause their separation.

Another embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises a barbers cloth 20 preferably manufactured from a polyethylene film having a 0.5 mil thickness and approximately 48 inches by 48 inches in size. A circular neck opening 22, of a size suitable for placing the cloth 20 over the head and about the neck of the person having their hair cut is cut in or about the center of the barbers cloth 20. About the circular neck opening 22 there is attached to the film 20, a securing means 24 comprising a ring of an elastic material such as rubber attached by sewing or heat sealing to the neck opening 22. The elastic ring 24 has a normal hole size smaller than the persons neck, but is elastically extensible to a hole size larger than the persons head. Upon release of the extending force applied to the ring 24, it contracts to form a close fit about the persons neck preventing clipped hair from coming into contact with the persons clothing.

A barbers cloth manufactured in accordance with this invention, is economically disposable and therefore eliminates the expense of laundering. There is no possibility of hair clippings penetrating the cloth and causing discomfiture or an unsightly appearance on the persons apparel. Furthermore, liquids dropped on the cloth will not soak through to soil the persons clothing.

Since such cloths can be made of transparent plastic film, reading matter held under the cloth may easily be read without the annoyance of hair clippings falling on the reading matter or the persons arms or apparel. Furthermore, such barbers cloths hang comfortably as well as snugly about the persons neck to keep out the hair clippings.

Although polyethylene film is preferred, other filmforming polyolefins, such as polypropylene and polyisobutylene, may also be used. Any thickness of film which is economical and flexible may be used. Likewise, the securing means attached to the neck opening is not rerestricted to an elastic ring 24 or a strip 18 of saran but may be any plastic film exhibiting suitable clinging or blocking properties, or any elastic material such as woven or knitted fabric containing elastic threads in their con struction.

Although this cloth has been described as a barbers cloth, it may also be used in beauty parlors and by doctors and dentists.

Since it is apparent that various changes and modifications may be made in the above-identified embodiments without departing from the nature and spirit thereof, this invention is not limited thereto, except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A barbers cloth comprising a sheet of flexible plastic film impermeable to fluids and having a neck opening therein for encircling the wearer, and means integral with said sheet of flexible plastic film and contiguous with the perimeter of the neck opening in such sheet for fastening the cloth about a persons neck, said means comprising a strip of flexible plastic film free from adhesive coatings on its surface and characterized by clinging to itself in the dry state when brought together in overlapping relationship, said strip being conformable in overlapping relationship about the persons neck and being self-retentive of such overlapping conformed shape.

2. A barbers cloth comprising a polyethylene film having a U-shaped neck opening therein which inwardly extends from the midpoint of one side of the polyethylene film with the larger dimension of the neck opening being toward the center thereof, and means integral with said polyethylene film and contiguous with the perimeter of said U-shaped neck opening in said polyethylene film for securing said cloth around the persons neck, said means comprising a strip of flexible plastic film free from adhesive coatings on its surface and characterized by clinging to itself in the dry state when brought together in overlapping relationship said strip being conformable in overlapping relationship about the persons neck and being self-retentive of such overlapping conformed shape said overlapped clinging films requiring application thereto of a force greater than the weight of the barber cloth to cause their separation.

3. A barbers cloth, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the securing means comprises a strip of vinylidene chloride polymer from about three inches to about seven inches in width.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 188,737 Hart Mar. 27, 1877 1,556,468 Alamo Oct. 6, 1925 2,289,526 Tapper July 14, 1942 2,580,388 Allen Jan. 1, 1952 2,713,686 Oster et a1. July 26, 1955 2,778,024 Randolph Jan. 22, 1957 2,803,013 Freiberger Aug. 20, 1957 2,900,640 H-aydu Aug. 25, 1959 

